A Couple's Life
by EagleWings21
Summary: Ikaros and Tomoki have been dating for a while now, and still have a lot to learn. IkarosXTomoki pairing. I'm not ashamed. Rated T for mild language and suggestive themes.
1. Chapter 1

This story takes place after the end of the Manga, and with the idea that Ikaros and Tomoki are a couple. I loved this series to pieces and sincerely hope that they update it with a third season. Anyway, I suppose I'll write these off as little comedy-romance one-shots for now. No real connection, and I might add more characters as the chapters roll out.

* * *

Tomoki woke up to sunshine pouring into his bedroom. He sat up for a brief moment and stretched his arms, feeling his joints pop and his bones crack a little as he shook off the stiffness of sleep. To his right was Ikaros laying peacefully next to him. Her eyes were closed, even though he knew full well she was incapable of sleeping. Oh well, the sentiment was nice.

He wiped his eyes and took a deep breath. He laid back down and turned to face his angeloid girlfriend, and smiled. "Good morning, Ikaros." He planted a small peck on her cheek.

Ikaros' eyes shot open immediately, and Tomoki jumped up from where he lay. He still couldn't get used to that. "Good morning, master." She felt a blush from where he kissed her, and tilted her head back down towards the pillow.

"Hey, don't you remember what today is?"

"Yes, master. Today is May 14, Sunday, the 134 day of the year."

Normally it was Ikaros who held the best deadpan expression, but now it was Tomoki's turn. "No, you idiot. Today is our 6-month anniversary!"

Ikaros sat up to look Tomoki in the eye. She cocked her head to the side inquisitively, "Master, what is an anniversary?" Her confused tone echoed throughout the silence of the room.

Tomoki scratched the back of his head. "Well, basically, it's when two people celebrate how long they've been together. It's most common with married couples, but boyfriends and girlfriends can do it too."

Ikaros felt her reactor pump hard for a split second. "Master, are we getting married?"

A karate chop hand came down like a bat out of hell and whacked her on the head as a small bump appeared on her head. Tomoki shouted, "No you dingbat! We're just dating! Marriage doesn't happen for a super-duper long time!"

Ikaros put her hand to the protruding bump on her head and looked to the ground. "I'm sorry, master."

Tomoki looked at her while she stared at the ground and felt himself smile as he spoke in a soft tone, "Hey, look. It's okay. We're just not there yet, okay? We have a long way to go just doing what we're doing now before we get to anything really serious. Let's just try to enjoy our time together now in the present, okay?"

Ikaros looked up from the floor and kissed Tomoki on the cheek. "Alright, master."

Tomoki blushed as red as a tomato and felt heat flush into his cheeks. "Oh, speaking of, I have something I've been meaning to tell you. You really should start calling me by my first name now, especially since we're dating. I mean, if anyone in public saw us holding hands and you called me 'master' all the time, it might make things look a little weird, okay? That's just not how couples interact."

He crossed his arms and puffed out his chest as he thought about what he just said to Ikaros. _You did good, Tomo. She still has a lot to learn, but she'll get there. I mean, she's already learned a lot so far, a couple months ago she didn't even know how to knock on a bathroom door properly Now, she's really getting the hang of things. Now, if I could just get her to-_

Before he could finish his thoughts, Ikaros picked up one of Tomoki's smut magazines, a BDSM magazine specifically. It was titled, "My Sexy Master: The Guide to Kinkiness". There was a picture of a woman in lingerie on the cover, getting whipped while she was tied up by a man dressed in leather clothes with various holes in them. She held it in front of Tomoki. "Mast…uh…Tomoki, what about this? Do I call you 'master' then?"

Tomoki let out one of his famous girlish shrieks and grabbed the magazine, and rolled it up into a cylindrical shape. He then proceeded to whack Ikaros on the head repeatedly, "I TOLD YOU, WE'RE NOT THERE YET!"

* * *

It was in the late morning hours now, and Tomoki was watching TV as Ikaros brought his daily cup of green tea to him. "Here you go, mas…Tomoki." She placed it in front of him, and he thanked her. He took the cup and had a sip. Delicious as usual. He then looked at Ikaros. She sat across from him and stared at the tv with her teal eyes. He saw how her pink flowing hair dangled to the floor, and draped around her legs. Her apron was wrapped loosely around her, and her denim skirt barely reached the middle of her thighs. Her skin was pale, but not a blemish was found anywhere. He couldn't put his finger on it, but he was fairly certain she was wearing a perfume as well, because something that smelled of vanilla tickled his nostrils as she brushed a strand of pink hair from her face. It was then that she caught her boyfriend staring at her from the corner of her eye. "Tomoki, is everything okay?"

He shook his head to get out of his head, and smiled as she took notice. "No, not at all. In fact, everything is perfect." They sat in silence for a few more minutes and watched tv together. After a short while, Tomoki spoke up again. "Hey, I have an idea. Since it's our six-month anniversary today, I was just doing some thinking. You always take care of me, you do the shopping, clean the house, and keep everything running around here. And you do such a good job at it too! So, as a present, I'm going to take care of you today."

Ikaros raised her eyebrows a little at that. "What do you mean?"

Tomoki smiled at her, "I want you to just relax today. No cleaning, no cooking, just chill out a little! Watch some TV or take a nap. Well, uh…you know what I mean."

Ikaros blinked at him. "Alright."

* * *

"Here is a list of all the things that need to be done today, mast...Tomoki." Ikaros handed him a small piece of paper. It wasn't a large list by any means.

1)Shop for ingredients for tonight's dinner

2)Fertilize watermelon patch

3)Make dinner

4)Sleep with master

That last one made Tomoki chuckle to himself. "Ikaros, you're ridiculous."

"Did I do something wrong?"

"No no, just…nevermind. Alright, I'm going to go shopping now. I'll be back in a little while, okay? And remember what I said, try and relax. Don't do any housework or try and be useful. Just enjoy yourself today, okay? I've got everything under control."

Ikaros stood there, unsure of what to say. "Al-alright, mast...I mean, Tomoki. I'll see you in a little while."

* * *

Shopping was easy enough. It was Tomoki who lectured Ikaros about how to shop correctly, after all. Not like he needed help with that.

Now gardening, on the other hand, was not the strongest skill he had. Tomoki looked up from the backyard up to Sohara's window. _Man, why did she and everyone else have to go on vacation with Mikako? She could have really given me some good pointers right about now. Oh well, it's just gardening, how hard can it be? I mean, if Ikaros can do it no problem, this should be a cinch for me, right?_

He approached the watermelon patch in his backyard with a wheelbarrow and a shovel, and plenty of manure to go around. Looking at the melons themselves, he could tell how much pride and work Ikaros put in to growing them. There were some big ones and some small ones, and the bigger ones had a deep, rich emerald color to them. The soil was dark and soft, and he could probably have honestly eaten every one of those watermelons right then and there. He knelt down and looked to his left and right to make sure no one was watching, and started to pet one of the melons. "I'm really not sure what she sees in these things. I'm getting hungry just looking at them. I wonder what she'd do if I made her a fruit salad from these."

Nymph and Astraea might have something to say about that, though. He shuddered as he recalled the memory of being eaten by the watermelon monster, and went back to his work.

He looked at the wheelbarrow as he tossed the shovel handle back and forth between his hands. He paced at the ends of the little patch, looking for the best way to start. "Hmm, well, it's not rocket science. Just throw some crap on the fruit, right?" He heaved a shovelful of manure on top of a watermelon, and nodded proudly at his work. He did the same for the others, and then sprayed them down with water. By the time he was done, the beautiful emerald orbs that were once watermelons were now piles of moist dung. He smiled widely and whistled as he put his wheelbarrow back in the shed, shaking off any loose dirt.

Ikaros watched him from upstairs in their room. "My…my melons…" She started to pop off and put back on the head to her favorite wooden doll.

* * *

"Okay, so let's see what I've done so far. Shopping, check. Melon patch, check. I guess all that's left to do now is make dinner." He felt his stomach growl. "Woah, and not a moment too soon! Alright, let's see. This should be easy enough. Now, what did Ikaros plan on making tonight?" He looked at the recipe she had stuck on the fridge for the night, and it was steak and potatoes with carrots. "Well, that's easy enough. I've seen her use the grill a thousand times. Piece of cake."

He strolled out to the backyard to get the grill ready, and donned his favorite apron. It wasn't anything special, just a normal blue apron – except for the two holes that were cut into it, that exposed his nipples to the world.

Tomoki seasoned the steaks and prepared all the rest of the food. He looked down at his work and felt a sense of pride that he, the man of the house, was preparing dinner for his woman. His girlfriend. His future bride? Heck, why not. He was feeling too good about himself to question anything at the current moment.

He bent down and started up the grill, and turned the gas on high to get it hot as fast as he could.

He was doing a great job today! After seeing how he worked on her melon patch and now making dinner, he was sure to win an award or something. Any moment now, and Ikaros would come down to the patio in the back, kissing him and thanking him for being such a wonderful boyfriend. She'd be so proud of him, and maybe even tell Sohara to get her off his back about how he never does anything special for her. That would just be too fun to watch. Sohara was always going on about how he should help her out more and be more attentive now that he's not just her master but also her boyfriend, and man! The look on Sohara's face would be priceless now. To top it all off, the steaks smell so good! There's nothing like the smell of meat cooking on a warm Spring day to accent the taste of victory.

"Master! Master!" Ikaros came running from inside the house.

Tomoki awoke from his trance and looked over to the sliding glass door where Ikaros was standing in. "Oh, hey you! I thought you were-"

"Master, you're on fire!"

"Hehe, oh really? Is someone trying to tell me something?" He clasped his tongs twice in a suggestive manner.

"Yes, that you're on fire and are going to suffer from severe burns if you don't extinguish the flames on your apron immediately!"

Wait. That was way too specific. She wasn't flirting, she was trying to tell him that he was…

Suddenly, his chest got very warm. Toasty, even.

He looked down.

Oh man.

* * *

"OUCH! DAMMIT, NOT SO HARD OKAY!?" Tomoki screeched in pain as Ikaros applied the ointment just a little harder than necessary.

He was lying on the couch on his back. It was late now, around 8:00 at night. His beloved apron was in the trash as a scorched, charred shell of its former glory. Thankfully the only parts of him that were affected by the flames were his nipples, which tingled as Ikaros applied the burn ointment to them. Each time she put the ointment on him, she made sure to press just a little extra hard. You know, to make sure she was thorough.

Perhaps that will teach him to mess with her melons.

"I'm sorry, that you're in pain, mas-Tomoki." She dabbed her finger in the jar to get more ointment. This whole first name thing was going to take some getting used to.

"Man. Today was balls. All I wanted was to do something nice for you, and I messed it all up. What a shitty way to have an anniversary, huh?" He retreated from his treatment and covered his face with a pillow from the couch.

Ikaros paused with her finger in the ointment tub. "I do not think it was a bad day, master."

"Yeah, easy for you to say. You didn't mess everything up like I did."

Ikaros put the ointment down, and scooted closer to where Tomoki's face was. She gently removed the pillow, and swallowed. "Tomoki, the fact that you tried meant more than me than what you actually accomplished. You made an effort to relieve me of my duties today; and your efforts, while mostly met with an unsuccessful outcome, resulted in me feeling quite happy about how today turned out." She planted a small kiss on his cheek.

Tomoki brushed some hair out from his face. "So, you're not upset or mad at me?"

Ikaros shook her head. "I am glad."

Tomoki smiled and pulled her in for a kiss. "Happy anniversary, Ikaros. I love you."

Ikaros blushed. "Happy…anniversary…Tomoki. I love you, too."

He chuckled a little bit after realizing she said his name without messing it up. "Hey, you're getting better! Just keep calling me by my first name, okay? Pretty soon, you won't even have to think about it." He looked at the clock, it read 8:30 now. "It's getting late, why don't we head to bed and talk there for a little bit. I'm getting pretty tired."

"Alright."

He shut the tv off, and they both started their retreat for the night. As they walked upstairs to his room, Tomoki asked, "Hey Ikaros, what are you doing tomorrow?"

"Fixing my watermelons."

Tomoki felt a pang of guilt at her words. But that guilt was quickly replaced with an idea. "Would you mind if I could lend you a hand?"

Ikaros paused. "Yes, I…I would like that very much."

* * *

And, scene. Well, this is the first chapter of I don't know how many. This may stay a one shot, or I might add more. I dunno. I'm just absolutely onboard with the idea of shipping IkarosXTomoki. So, this is what I plan on doing. I hope you enjoyed, see you in the next chapter if there is one! Lol.


	2. Chapter 2

So, this is a second chapter. I thought of something kind of funny the other day at work, so let's try it out I suppose. I hope you enjoy~

* * *

Tomoki got home late. The sun was setting, and he was sweaty and tired. He tried to dust off some of the loose dirt from his shirt before he got to the main part of the house, and He took off his shoes and trudged into the living room. Ikaros came from the kitchen, petting her watermelon. "Welcome home, Tomoki. How was your day?"

"It was fine, how about you?"

"It was fine, I suppose." She looked down at her watermelon and started petting it a little faster. "I-I missed you." She blushed when she said that, and hid her face behind the watermelon.

Tomoki let out a small sigh and went over to his girlfriend, and kissed her. "I missed you too." He looked around, and the house was absolutely spotless. Everything was in place, and it almost reminded him of a dollhouse instead of an actual house.

He really didn't like leaving Ikaros alone every day. But money doesn't earn itself, and the local farm was hiring part time workers for the harvest season. It didn't pay much, only about 8 yen an hour, but it was better than nothing. "Ikaros, what do you do all day when I leave?"

Ikaros placed her watermelon on a couch cushion. "Well, I clean and organize the house, and prepare food for when I'm hungry. Then I wait for you to come home."

"Yeah, see, I was afraid of that."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, don't you get tired of doing the same thing over and over again?"

"Not really. It's what needs to be done."

"Yeah, but I mean, you need to do something with your time Ikaros. You need to get out more, you know? I feel bad knowing that you're just stuck here all the time doing the same thing every day. It probably gets really boring, right?" He desperately looked for some kind of agreement from her. Getting through to Ikaros was particularly tough, especially when having her do something new was on the table.

"Not at all. I take great pleasure in knowing I can please you by accomplishing the tasks you give me."

Tomoki facepalmed.

"Well, in that case, I have a new task for you. I want you to get a job."

"Get a job?"

"That's right."

Ikaros blinked. "Well, what should I do?"

"Well, you could…um…huh. That's a good question." Tomoki never thought he'd get this far. He thought she'd say no and that'd be the end of it. However, the fact that she was at least entertaining what he had to say was a good thing. After all, what could be so hard about her getting a job? She seems to do everything else without too many issues. "Well, I know that the diner down the street is hiring. I think that's the one down by the school. You could always work there. All you need to do is wait on people. You could handle that, right?"

"Correct. I will work there immediately."  
At that instant, she unfurled her wings and made a motion like she was ready to fly to the sky. "Wait!" Tomoki yanked her chain and she fell down on her face like when they went camping. "Don't get too ahead of yourself, first you have to apply and get a job interview. Then, if they like you enough, they'll give you the job."

Muffled by the floor, Ikaros responded, "Yes, master."

Tomoki sighed.

* * *

Ikaros sat waiting in a booth outside of the kitchen, and stared at the inspirational poster in front of her that had a dove flying in the clouds. Tomoki went to Sohara's house and 'borrowed' some of her nicer clothes for Ikaros to wear, considering most of what she owned was too casual for a job interview. Sure, it might have been a size or two too big, but eh. It was just the diner. It was the effort that really counted.

"Miss Ikaros?" A plump woman called her name from a cracked open office door. "We're ready for you now. Come on in!" She shook hands with Ikaros, and they proceeded into the office next to the back of the kitchen.

Once the woman closed the door, she introduced herself. "My name is Mrs. Patterson, it's a pleasure to meet you."

"You as well."

They both sat down. "Now, Miss Ikaros, this job is fairly simple. Nothing to it, really. All you need at the end of the day is a want to succeed, and the desire to help folks out. Does that sound like you?"

Ikaros blinked twice. "Um…" _Think back to what master said. He said that I need to be positive, and always answer with what I think they want to hear. _"Yes, that…does sound like me."

Mrs. Patterson smiled and slowly nodded her head. "Riight. Well, that's good! I'm glad to hear it. Now, the basic responsibilities of the job include, but aren't limited to, service to customers, ringing people up at the register, and cleaning up the diner periodically. Do you think you could handle that?"

Ikaros nodded.

"Good! Oh, and one more thing. This is a bit of a social job, and I notice that you don't tend to talk too much." Ikaros nodded again. "See? that's what I mean. Don't be afraid to talk a little more, and remember to smile, okay? People love being greeted with a smile."

Ikaros nodded.

* * *

Later that night, Ikaros and Tomoki were getting ready for bed. Tomoki was brushing his teeth while Ikaros was in her nightgown standing in front of the mirror. She stared at her reflection, unsure of what to do. _She said I need to smile. That people love being greeted that way. But I know myself, and I don't smile often. I wonder if Tomoki could help me. _She tried to smile by making stretches with her mouth. She opened her mouth and closed it again, and tried to manually lift the corners of her mouth with her fingers into a smiling image - but with no avail.

Tomoki came into the room. "Well, I guess it's about that time again, huh?" He flicked the light switch and plopped lazily into the bed. Ikaros still stood in front of the mirror. "You coming to bed?"

"Of course, master." She walked slowly over to the bed. "Um, I have a question. It's about the interview that I had today."

Tomoki smiled. "Oh yeah! I've been meaning to ask how that went. Did it go well?"

Ikaros climbed into bed, adjusting herself as she faced towards him. "Well, I suppose it did. I got the job."  
Tomoki lit up. "Really? That's great news!" He pulled her in for a hug. "This is gonna be great! Not only will you have some money for yourself, but you'll be around people more. That'll be great for you to learn some more human stuff."

Ikaros bit her lip. "Well, about that. I was told that I need to smile more, and that I don't talk enough."

Tomoki rubbed his head. "Yeah, well, I hate to admit it, but I kind of have to agree. You do kind of just stare at people sometimes. It can be a little weird."

Ikaros looked down. "So, what do I do?"

Tomoki sighed. "Yu know, I don't know. I mean, I can literally count on one hand how many times you've ever smiled. There was that one time at Christmas after we broke Nymph's chain where you giggled a little, and then there was…" Tomoki trailed off as he remembered the events of what happened when the world crumbled; when Ikaros was burning away in his arms, and how she confessed her love for him.

Ikaros saw the distant look in his eyes. She reached out and took his hand into hers, "Tomoki, are you okay?"

Tomoki shook his head rapidly, almost like he tried to shake something from his hair. "Yeah, I'm…I'm good." I just remembered how you smiled at me not too long ago. You know, when you took me to the synapse."

Her breath shortened and her eyes grew wide. "Oh…y-yes, I-I remember that as well."

The room grew silent for what seemed like forever. Tomoki could hear the crickets outside as they both silently reflected on that day. Finally, Tomoki broke the silence. "Listen, as far as smiling thing goes, I think it'll happen when the time is right. I know that I said to you once that you could just force it, that you can just pretend to be happy and no one would notice. But with you, I know that it has to be just the right time. And believe me, it'll come."

Ikaros pulled Tomoki close and kissed him. "Thank you, Tomoki."

Tomoki blushed and looked down. "Hey, it's no biggie. It's what I'm here for, right?" She nodded. "Well, we should try and get some rest. You got a big day tomorrow after all." He kissed her once more and rolled over. "Goodnight, Ikaros."

"Goodnight…Tomoki." For a split second, she felt her mouth twitch a little.

Still nothing.

* * *

The diner was bustling with people. It was the middle of summer, and summer vacation was in full swing. There were families coming in and out of the diner, and Ikaros was in training.

"Okay dear, you've been doing great. I've never seen the tables cleared so quickly! Oh, I think those people are ready to check out. Could you go ahead and man the cash register? And remember, don't forget to smile!" Mrs. Patterson flew away in a flash. Ikaros stared at the cash register as her manager raced off to help other customers.

Things at the register didn't seem too bad. There were only three people there; a man, a woman, and their daughter. Ikaros looked down at her hands before slowly walking over. _Okay, Ikaros. Remember, smile._

She got over to the register and gave an honest attempt at smiling. She felt the corners of her mouth stretch, but she just didn't feel like they were stretching in the right directions. Judging by the confused look on the customers' faces, she guessed that she must have looked a bit awkward. She quickly gave up and started ringing them up. _Remember what Mrs. Patterson said, always ask about their experience. _"Was everything okay?"

The woman scowled. "Well, I guess so. Though I have to say some of your prices are just ridiculous."

Ikaros paused for a second and looked up at the aggravated woman. "Oh, uh… I'm sorry to hear that."

The woman crossed her arms. Was this cashier taking some kind of attitude with her? That last remark almost sounded sarcastic. "Yeah? Well, unfortunately your 'sorry' doesn't put the forty yen back in my pocket now does it? I can't believe it cost that much to eat a damn breakfast in this town" The woman's daughter looked down and away from her mother's piercing gaze.

At this time, the father stepped in. He put his hand on his wife's arm. "Karen, it's fine." He turned to look at Ikaros with sympathetic eyes, as if this wasn't the first time this kind of thing has happened. "Miss, I'm so sorry. My wife is just a little stressed out lately."

Ikaros finished scanning the items. "Oh, that's alright. That'll be a total of 50 yen, please."

Karen exploded. "WHAT?! How in the hell did it get to be THAT MUCH?!"

Ikaros felt her body shrink just a little. "Um, well, you see, the slam dunk breakfasts were forty, twenty per person. It came with a lot of food. And there were several refills of milkshakes that were-"

"NO, I DON'T CARE." Karen looked around and huffed. "This is ridiculous! I can't believe these costs that much. I want to speak to your manager, NOW."

Ikaros looked around, "Oh-okay. But, ma'am, I must say, that I highly doubt she'll be able to do anything, we don't control the price of the food, the owners do."

Karen put her hands on the counter that was the barrier Ikaros was using to deflect Karen's verbal assault. "Are you getting smart with me, young lady?" Karen squinted her eyes to dagger proportions.

Ikaros looked around, desperately looking for her manager. "Um, uh…no. I'm not doing that at all."

Karen's husband put his hand on his wife's shoulder. "Karen, please. That's enough. I get paid next week anyway, it'll be fine. Miss, I'm so sorry. My wife is really a good person, honestly. She's just been-"

However, before he could finish, Mrs. Patterson came over in her usual bubbly tone. "Hello! My name is Miss Patterson. I hear there was a misunderstanding, what seems to be the issue?"

Karen explained what happened. Mrs. Patterson put on her best I'm-sorry-for-your-pain face. "Well, let's see. I'll just double check the prices and make sure nothing was totalled incorrectly."

At hearing this, Karen rolled her eyes. "Oh, that would make sense. Send the newbie to do all the grown-up work. Ringing up food at a diner does take a college degree, after all."

Ikaros stared at Karen. Up to now, she was unsure of how to react. She had never been in a confrontation quite like this one. Usually whenever something was wrong, she knew what to do. She had some kind of plan. However, one of her lessons with Mrs. Patterson was, "The customer is always right, even if they're wrong." Ikaros wasn't too sure what that meant, as it seemed to contradict itself. Still, she knew that she couldn't attack anyone. That much was made clear. But, with the way this Karen woman was carrying on, and especially in front of her daughter like that, Ikaros felt what started to be anxiety and confusion begin to bubble into rage and anger.

Ikaros thought hard about if Tomoki would be mad at her for getting fired on her first day.

"Well, that does it." Mrs. Patterson said, breaking Ikaros' concentration. "Everything was scanned correctly and your total is 50 yen. I apologize, but there's nothing we can do."

Karen stared at Mrs. Patterson for a good while, then looked back at her husband. He looked at her with stern eyes, as if telling her that enough was enough. She forked up the money and took her belongings, but not without a few parting words. "Well, I hope you two are happy. And you!" She looked down at her daughter, "You better never want to eat here again, understand?!" Her daughter cowered a little and hid behind her father. "Let's go, we don't have all day." She began to storm out of the store. Before crossing through the doors, she looked back at Ikaros. "And you. Would it kill you to smile?" With that, she stormed out in a huff.

* * *

It was closing time. The store had one or two people left excluding Ikaros and Mrs. Patterson. Ikaros was wiping some tables while Mrs. Patterson quickly took care of the stray customers. After they were gone, she made her way over to Ikaros, who was still cleaning up. "Well, you did great. It was a rough day in general, but considering you're in training I'd say you did a marvelous job."

"Thank you, Mrs. Patterson."

"There is one little critique I have for you, though."

"Oh?" Ikaros turned from the table to look at her manager.

"Well," Mrs. Patterson looked away while she searched for the right words. "It's about that customer we had today."

Ikaros suddenly felt her heart drop into her gut. "Oh, um, did I do something wrong?"

"No no! Not at all! Actually, considering how hot-headed she was, I'm surprised you didn't do anything at all. It wasn't anything like that, no dear. Actually, it was something she said to you. She asked you if it would kill you to smile." Ikaros looked blankly at Mrs. Patterson. "Well, I did some reflecting, and I saw that you never smiled all day. You have such great manners and are polite almost to a fault. However, you really should learn to smile more. It will help you and other so much around you." She put her hand on Ikaros' shoulder. "Something that always helps me smile is thinking about those whom I love and hold dearly to me. Do you have anyone like that in your life?"

There was one person who came to mind. "Yes, I do."

* * *

The rest of the day seemed to fly by. Tomoki and Ikaros both got home from work roughly ten minutes apart from each other. Ikaros made dinner, and Tomoki cleaned up the mess. They both got showers and were starting to get ready for bed. Tomoki laid in bed looking at a dirty magazine while Ikaros brushed her hair.

"So, how was your first day on the job?"

Ikaros slowed the brushing down a little. "It was…good."

Tomoki scoffed. "Just good, eh? Doesn't sound too good to me." He turned a page.

Dammit, why was he so good at reading her? "Well, there was a bit of an incident." Ikaros sat in front of him on the bed.

Tomoki felt his heart sink. "Oh God, what did you do? Did you kill anyone?" Tomoki rolled up the magazine and began to swat her on the head. "Ikaros, I don't have enough money to bail you out of jail if you actually killed anyone! You know, that right? I mean, you and I are barely getting by with what we have now, and I-"

While Tomoki was rambling on, Ikaros put her finger up to his lips. "No. I did not kill anyone. Though, I may have wanted to."

Tomoki stared for a second then chuckled. "Yeah, well, welcome to the customer service field. What happened, exactly?"

Ikaros told her what Karen had done and said, except the part where she asked Ikaros if it would kill her to smile. She left that part out for now. "Well," said Tomoki, "I think you handled it well overall. Sometimes people just like to pick fights to feel better about themselves, when really they're the ones with the problem."

Ikaros nodded. "There was something else, too."

Tomoki cocked his head, "Oh? What was it?"

"Before that rude woman left the store, she asked me if it would kill me to smile."

"Oh man. Did you get angry?" He placed the magazine on the nightstand while she spoke.

"No, not angry. Just…worried, I suppose. I hadn't smiled all day, despite what my boss told me about how I needed to."

Tomoki sighed, then patted Ikaros on the head. "Well, you'll get there."

"I'm not finished."

Tomoki stopped patting her.

"After the store was closed, Mrs. Patterson talked to me. She said that what helps her smile was thinking about the people she loved and held dear to her, and she asked me if I had anyone like that in my life. I immediately thought of you. And, well…"

Tomoki felt frozen as he saw Ikaros look up to him, and smiled. She had a beautiful, genuine, soul-filled smile as she pulled Tomoki in for a deep, long, passionate kiss. "Um…wow. That uh…wow. I uh…" Tomoki blushed like mad as he searched for something, _anything_ to say for such a moment. "You know, Ikaros, the last time you smiled like this, you uh…kind of…you died." Tomoki felt a small lump form in his throat at remembering that horrible day. "You're not dying again, are you?" He looked up at her with pleading eyes.

Ikaros then did something no one would have ever expected – she actually giggled. And Lord, how cute it was! It was the most innocent thing he had heard in a long time, maybe even ever. "No, Tomoki. I'm not dying. But I just wanted you to know that, no matter what's happening, whenever I think of you…I feel happy. Everything seems to change, like from being loud to being quiet, and I feel at peace." Her smile went away, but she drew him in and kissed him again. "I love you so much, Tomoki. No matter how bad my day is, thinking of you always makes it better."

Tomoki honestly didn't know what to say. It had been a good long while since a conversation this deep had happened, even with Ikaros.

Perhaps they were overdue.

He held her hands in his and looked her straight in the eye. "For what it's worth, I feel the exact same about you. No matter how crazy my life is, or how upside-down everything might be in the moment, I know that when I think of you, I always manage to find that special peace and quiet that I'm always craving."

Ikaros felt tears welling up in her eyes. It had been so long since he's said something that sweet to her. "Oh, Tomoki." She moved in to kiss him – however, the blanket slipped out from under her, and she fell off the bed.

There was a minute of silence, and then Tomoki started to chuckle. The chuckle turned into a giggle, and then full-on laughing. Even Ikaros got a few small huffs of air out of her, similar to that of a small laugh. Tomoki then slid from the bed to the floor and met her eyes, "Come on, let's go to bed. We both have a long day tomorrow now that we both have jobs."

Tomoki went back to the bed while Ikaros flicked the lights off and climbed in after him. Tomoki must have been more tired than she thought, because when she went to kiss him goodnight, he was already snoring. Instead, she turned around and lay facing away from him, as a small smile graced her face.

* * *

And, scene. I hope you all like it. It's just a little tip of the hat to those who work in retail. I used to, and I know several people who do, and it can be hell. So, thank you to all those who do. Let me know what you'd like to see happen next, and perhaps I'll try to write about it. Cheers!


End file.
